On May 7, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is launching the 2024 Art of Recovery project. This initiative highlights the impact of art on mental health and substance use recovery, showcasing how creative expression can serve as a pathway to solace, healing, and empowerment. The project solicits submissions, including artwork and a brief description of the artist’s inspiration, from artists with lived or living recovery experience.

“We invite people with lived experience to submit photographs, paintings, drawings or mixed media artwork that is meaningful to them and their journey,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “While the process of creation has long been recognized as a therapeutic tool, it can also serve to inspire others. The Art of Recovery project works to raise the voices of people with lived experience and illustrate the possibilities in recovery, hope and healing.”

Submissions are open May 7 to June 28, with categories for youth 13-17 and adults 18+. Artists may submit in two categories: painting, drawing or mixed media, and photography.

Selected entries will be posted on SAMHSA’s website as part of an online exhibit, Gallery of Hope: Artistic Expressions of Recovery Across the Nation. The online gallery will launch in September and run throughout the month to celebrate National Recovery Month.

Up to 150 youth submissions and 350 adult submissions will be posted in the virtual gallery. Artists may submit one piece of art along with a brief description of the inspiration behind the artwork. Submissions will be reviewed based on originality, creativity, and how well the entry expresses the theme.

In 2023, SAMHSA published Recovery from Substance Use and Mental Health Problems Among Adults in the United States, which indicates that over 70 percent of people (over 50 million) who identified as ever having a mental health and/or substance use problem were in recovery.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.